My virtual Sefer. I will Iy"H publish things that I thought of, or found interesting...

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Berachos 13b Sugya d'Prakdan Lo Yikra Kriyas Shema - Part IV

Continued from previous post...The Tur in Orach Chaim 63:1 says the following: וקורא אותה בין מהלך בין עומד בין יושב חוץ מפרקדן פירוש ששוכב על גבו והרמב’’ם ז’’ל כתב בין שפניו למעלה או פניו טוחות בקרקע לא יקרא ואפילו אינו ממש על גביו אלא מוטה על צדו לא יקרא מפני שנראה כמקבל עול מלכות שמים דרך גאוה. On this, the Bais Yosef and the Prisha say that the Rambam is saying that prakdan means both lying on one's face, and lying on one's back.
Now, if the Tur and the Bais Yosef and Prisha hold that prakdan means both, then it follows that as far as sleeping is concerned it should be forbidden both on one's face and back. The onlt difference between reciting Shema and sleeping would be that one would be permitted to sleep on one's back or face if they are tilted a bit to one side.
However, the Tur in Even HaEzer 23:3 says: ואסור לאדם שיקשה לדעת או שיביא עצמו לידי הרהור ואם יבא לידי הרהור יסיח נפשו מדברי הבאי והשחתה לדברי תורה שהיא אילת אהבים ויעלת חן לפיכך אסור לישן על ערפו ופניו למעלה עד שיטה מעט כדי שלא יבא לידי קישוי. And here, in regard to sleeping, he only forbids sleeping on one's back and not on one's face! This contradicts what he said in Orach Chaim. The Bais Yosef and Prisha don't say anything about this.
The bottom line is: The Tur contradicts himself the same way the Rambam does, when we compare the halacha by Shema to the halacha by sleeping.
The Vilna Gaon in Biur HaGra on Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 63 says that Rambam wasn't sure which meaning prakdan had, and he was machmir both ways. But, if this is what the Rambam held - why isn't he machmir by sleeping also?
Coming next time: The answer!!!